A Chat with a Crossword ChampThe three-time champion of Will Shortz's annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is Tyler Hinman, a 22-year-old bond trader from Chicago. Hinman joins Shortz and Liane Hansen to talk about the role his lucky T-shirt plays.

The three-time champion of Will Shortz's annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is Tyler Hinman, a 22-year-old bond trader from Chicago. Hinman joins Shortz and Liane Hansen to talk about the role his lucky T-shirt plays.

LIANE HANSEN, host:

We have with us now the winner of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. His name is Tyler Hinman, and he joins us from the NPR bureau in Chicago.

Mr. HINMAN: It's a lot of practice more than anything else. I just do a lot of puzzles and try to learn something new when I see it.

HANSEN: Really? Did you learn anything new this year?

Mr. HINMAN: Nothing springs to mind immediately. Fortunately, I was able to do everything that I came across. In the final puzzle, one of the clues was secesh - S-E-C-E-S-H - and it's a lot easier when you hear the clue aloud than when you read it, because when you read it you're likely to mispronounce it as I did. And the answer turns out to be reb, because secesh, of course, is short for secessionist.

HANSEN: Ah.

Mr. HINMAN: And that was a - error that tripped up a lot of us because it crossed an ambiguous entry - carpenters tool - all of us had level, which was the easiest answer to come up with, and it turned out to be bevel, with that B in reb.

HANSEN: Wow. So those were the pitfalls, some rather diabolical clues in the final puzzle, yeah.

Mr. HINMAN: Oh. That's right.

HANSEN: You know, the final round has been described as a contest between you and the constructor, not you against the other contestants. Would you agree with that?

Mr. HINMAN: More or less. Really, you're just trying to get to the puzzle and hope it's good enough.

HANSEN: Yeah, and was it hard this year compared to the two years before, harder?

Mr. HINMAN: It's difficult to compare because each has been difficult for its own reason. But yeah, this year was - this year was very hard. I think it actually took me longer than either of the other two championship puzzles. It was very close to the time.

HANSEN: Yeah. Do you have a good luck charm?

Mr. HINMAN: Yeah. Actually, I've worn the same T-shirt on Sunday for each of the past three years - not every Sunday over the past three years, but every Sunday at the tournament. There's a Web site called homestarrunner with some very funny flash cartoons, and there's a character on there named Trogdor, who's a dragon. And I have a shirt with that character on it that I've worn every Sunday at the competition that I've won.

HANSEN: Okay. Tyler, what do you do when you're not doing puzzles and crossword tournaments?

Mr. HINMAN: I work nights, actually, as a bond trader in Chicago. Still, kind of, going through - I had some growing pains in that regard, trying to get better at it so I can make a decent living off of it, but it's interesting work.

HANSEN: Yeah. So after you win a tournament like this, do you, sort of, fast from crosswords for a while or do you get right back into it, you know, the next day?

Mr. HINMAN: Oh, I still do them. I might not do as much speed solving. Right before the tournament, I tend to do a little more training on paper with a stopwatch and so forth. I won't really do that as much after the tournament. I'll do the same number of puzzles, but it's more likely to be at a more leisurely pace so I can enjoy them a little more.

HANSEN: And can Will assume that you'll be showing up at next year's tournament in Brooklyn?

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